So some of my players are visiting over New Years and we decided to run a small one shot. We're going to be playing "Mystery Heroes" where the only information on their character sheets to start is their name. They'll get to fill in the rest as they play and discover facts about their characters. As far as the adventure goes, they've ended up in a dungeon overseen by a mysterious figure and they need to clear certain areas and objectives in order to win their freedom. I'm using a deck of dungeon playing cards for the map, so as they explore each area they can draw a new card and place it on the map connecting to the previous cards.
The 2 characters I've made are level 10 and consist of a Goblin Monk and Asimar Sorcerer. I've rolled up a 3rd healer NPC to make things a little easier on them.
I'm currently stuck for ideas on random traps or monsters they can encounter that may be a little out of the ordinary run of the mill, any suggestions appreciated.
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The more things change, the more they stay the same
Ooh mystery characters! I do love the anticipation of playing a character you haven't learned the abilities of. Level 10 no less! So for monsters, I don't think its necessarily a bad thing if you go to the classic ones like Gelatinous Cube or Umberhulk, as they kind of define the dungeon delving experience. As for traps, though, unique ones are always fun! Here are a few that I thought of;
A stone relief in the wall that activates when a player passes. Player must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw or be teleported to another chamber within the dungeon for 1d4 +1 rounds (up to 30 seconds). The chamber has no exits and contains a creature of around CR 5 or 6, so it's not terribly challenging but in a one on one fight can do some damage to the player. After the time is up, the player returns to the spot they disappeared from. If the creature is within melee range when the player disappears, it teleports along with them, forcing the party to fight it.
A door has a trap that activates when a player attempts to open it (or fails their lockpicking check). An illusory dragon appears, and each player needs to make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened. When (if) they run away, a secondary trap (that became active when the first went off) activates, and hits the party with arrows or needles or some sort of piercing implement. (probably about 4d6 damage worth)
A pressure plate that, when activated, causes the walls in front of the player to slam together, sealing off the forward passage while also creating a door on the now sealed wall that leads to a new dungeon (basically the pressure plate makes them enter a new card section of the dungeon).
A tripwire that, instead of breaking, is unbreakable and causes the player to trip and fall flat on their face. (not so much a dangerous trap, more just for poking fun at the characters!)
A seemingly innocent button that, when pressed, activates one of the magical effects from the Sorcerer's Wild Magic Surge table at random (basically just roll percentile on the wild magic surge table and use that effect).
A stone relief that activates when a player passes by it. The player is granted 1 wish, but is unaware that they have it (therefore the next thing they wish for will be granted by you the DM at your discretion, which could lead to some hilarious, or dangerous, situations).
Those are a few that I could come up with on the spot. As for monsters, I do have a homebrew creature created that is published (it is a CR 9 but when damaged transforms and becomes a CR 12, so it might make a decent final battle for the adventure) called an Egonoth, should you be interested. Otherwise some other good monsters that may be interesting to fight in a dungeon would be Black Pudding, Chain Devil, Hydra, or even like a Cloud Giant in a room that is way too small for it.
you have to have the killer haggis, ( sabre toothed rabbit with heaps of hp and a big bite)
The bagpipes, ( set of bagpipes stats as a banshee, fiddle them as required to balance it)
The terrible porridge pot, ( 3 legged bronze cauldron full of porridge attacks with tentacles of hot sticky porridge, grapples, entangles, sticks people in place use web spell for that, does heat damage,)
Do everything in a very bad scotts accent,
Though I usually have mine start with the characters falling through a swirly thing and landing on a desolate moor with a Castle on it
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All plans turn into, run into the room waving a sword and see what happens from there, once the first die gets rolled
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So some of my players are visiting over New Years and we decided to run a small one shot.
We're going to be playing "Mystery Heroes" where the only information on their character sheets to start is their name.
They'll get to fill in the rest as they play and discover facts about their characters.
As far as the adventure goes, they've ended up in a dungeon overseen by a mysterious figure and they need to clear certain areas and objectives in order to win their freedom.
I'm using a deck of dungeon playing cards for the map, so as they explore each area they can draw a new card and place it on the map connecting to the previous cards.
The 2 characters I've made are level 10 and consist of a Goblin Monk and Asimar Sorcerer.
I've rolled up a 3rd healer NPC to make things a little easier on them.
I'm currently stuck for ideas on random traps or monsters they can encounter that may be a little out of the ordinary run of the mill, any suggestions appreciated.
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Ooh mystery characters! I do love the anticipation of playing a character you haven't learned the abilities of. Level 10 no less! So for monsters, I don't think its necessarily a bad thing if you go to the classic ones like Gelatinous Cube or Umberhulk, as they kind of define the dungeon delving experience. As for traps, though, unique ones are always fun! Here are a few that I thought of;
Those are a few that I could come up with on the spot. As for monsters, I do have a homebrew creature created that is published (it is a CR 9 but when damaged transforms and becomes a CR 12, so it might make a decent final battle for the adventure) called an Egonoth, should you be interested. Otherwise some other good monsters that may be interesting to fight in a dungeon would be Black Pudding, Chain Devil, Hydra, or even like a Cloud Giant in a room that is way too small for it.
Hope this helped!
Ooh Hogmanay adventure,
you have to have the killer haggis, ( sabre toothed rabbit with heaps of hp and a big bite)
The bagpipes, ( set of bagpipes stats as a banshee, fiddle them as required to balance it)
The terrible porridge pot, ( 3 legged bronze cauldron full of porridge attacks with tentacles of hot sticky porridge, grapples, entangles, sticks people in place use web spell for that, does heat damage,)
Do everything in a very bad scotts accent,
Though I usually have mine start with the characters falling through a swirly thing and landing on a desolate moor with a Castle on it
All plans turn into, run into the room waving a sword and see what happens from there, once the first die gets rolled